There's No Need to Worry!
by NocturneCrest
Summary: Two years after the Sinnoh trio's separation, Ash and Dawn are able to meet each other again in Kanto. With reports of Team Rocket and other villainous teams beginning to stir up violence once more, who will rise up to confront them? Ash can't do it alone this time. (Semi-canon up to X/Y.)
1. Prologue

[A/N]: After so many years... this has finally been posted! I surely hope you enjoy this semi-sequel to "Sleepless Nights on Lake Valor". I've decided to expand and change some of the story's aspects such as the plot/setting(s)/etc. This will probably be the lengthiest and most thoroughly-written story I've ever put together, so prepare yourselves! Ash's old friends make a comeback! (I miss them so much.) The big character lists are below, but remember, they are tentative! Some characters will be added, some may be removed. I will consistently update this section as the character list expands or shrinks.

* * *

><p><em><span>Protagonists<span>_

Ash Ketchum, Dawn, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, May, Max, Drew, Paul, Iris, Cilan, N, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, The Rocket Trio

_Antagonists_

Giovanni, Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Colress, Lysandre, Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare

_Recurring Characters_

Delia Ketchum; Professors: Samuel Oak, Ivy, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper and Sycamore; Gym Leaders and Elite Four from all regions; Looker; Red, Leaf, Ethan, Lyra, Brendan, Lucas, Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, Rosa, Hugh, Calem, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's No Need to Worry!<strong>_

_Prologue_

* * *

><p>The mother of one of the greatest coordinators of all the regions, Johanna, cautiously approached her daughter's bedroom. The door, covered in stickers and posters all pertaining to contests, was still closed from the night before. Dawn's mother twisted the bronze doorknob and gingerly pushed against the wood so that the door was left ajar. She took a peek inside of her daughter's room. Immediately, Johanna had to squint in order to discern even the tiniest hints of light. Dawn's room was extremely dark; she had shut her blinds before laying in bed and the only light in the bedroom was emanating from her Starly alarm clock.<p>

Johanna carefully made her way through the room, ensuring she would not make the wooden floorboards creak. Thank Arceus she had her slippers on; they suppressed most of the sound she made while traversing through the bedroom. As soon as Johanna reached the window, she felt around for the cord tassels used to pull open the curtains. The first object Dawn's mother touched was something substantially hard to the touch. It was narrow and had a wooden texture.

_"No, those are the slats..." _

After a few minutes of playing guess-the-object, Dawn's mother found the cords. She pulled one cord left and the other, right. Eye-blinding sunlight instantly crept through the caliginous bedroom. In seconds, every corner of the room was bathed in sunlight. Johanna turned around and saw her daughter sleeping soundly in her bed. She sat on the edge of her bed and smiled. Two years. It had been two years since Dawn had first left home. Johanna, needless to say, was constantly worrying—was her daughter safe? It was senseless, however, for her to brood over Dawn's condition. Ash and Brock had vowed to keep her safe and that, they did.

But now the mother had full reason to fret again. After all, it wasn't every day that Dawn came home. She rarely stayed in Twinleaf for more than a few weeks at a time. As heartbreaking for Johanna as it was, she was also very proud of her daughter. Dawn had become everything Johanna wanted to be and more.

After savoring the few moments she had left with Dawn before she was on the road again, Johanna decided it was time to wake her up.

"Dawn," Johanna's voice emanated from the depths of her deep dream. "Dawn, honey. Wake up! I don't think you want to miss your flight to Kanto, do you?"

The girl shifted slightly in her bed but refused to wake up. Johanna sighed. "_Why today, of all days, must she be sleeping this deeply?" _

Dawn's mother craned her neck over her daughter to get a glimpse of the time. August 10, 9:57 A.M. Her daughter's flight was at 11:30. She shook her head in desperation. Slowly coaxing her awake did not work and gently shaking her wasn't going anywhere, either. Out of patience and out of ideas, Johanna left Dawn's room in slight frustration.

On her way out, she accidentally bumped into a sleepwalking Piplup. The mother gasped as the little penguin Pokémon fell onto its behind on the hard wood floor. The impact woke up the small Pokémon and caused it to recklessly fire off Bubblebeam. Johanna had to react quickly before it broke any furniture. As Johanna relaxed Piplup, she came up with an idea she could use to wake up her daughter.

"Piplup," Johanna sighed. "Would you mind waking up Dawn for me? I just can't seem to get her out of bed. You certainly know how long she's been waiting for this day! She'll be late if she doesn't wake up soon!"

Piplup comprehended her request and it puffed out its chest. Johanna chuckled and shook her head. Piplup ever prideful. With its eyes closed, the penguin marched its way to Dawn's room only to bump into the closed door.

"Pip!" It squeaked as it fell back to the floor. The little penguin clearly became agitated as it started to use Drill Peck on the door.

"Okay, Piplup! I think that's quite enough!" Johanna chuckled.

Dawn's mother opened the door for the Pokémon. In response, Piplup bowed in respect before heading in.

"_Always such the gentleman, too. Hmhm…" _Johanna left the door open and made her way downstairs in order to heat up the breakfast that was left unattended.

Piplup made its way to Dawn's bed where it first used Pound on Dawn's hand. Dawn's only reaction was moving her hand back under the covers. Next, Piplup tried a Water Gun on his Trainer's face, to which Dawn did nothing. Getting frustrated again, Piplup used Drill Peck—making sure he was not pecking too strongly, but hard enough to be felt. The girl finally woke up when the Pokémon's beak first hit her side.

"Piplup!" Dawn shot up out of her repose. "Why did you do that?"

"Pip, Piplup!" The little penguin smiled.

"Oh, yeah! It's the day we go to Kanto!" Dawn raised her fist in the air. "It's time to see Ash again…"

Piplup noticed that tears had started welling up in her eyes, so he gently wiped them away. "Pip, lup, lup, lup!"

Dawn immediately perked up at her Pokémon's words. The coordinator held her head up high and smiled. "Thanks, Piplup! There's no need to worry! Now let's get ready. We gotta look our best when we get there!"

Dawn changed out of her pajamas and into her signature clothing: a white beanie with a pink Pokéball insignia; two yellow, triangle shaped hair clips; a white tank top; black cotton vest; pink skirt; and pink calf-high boots. She sat down in front of her cherry wooden vanity and immediately began on pampering herself before going down for breakfast. Dawn wasn't one who wore an excessive amount of blush. Just a tad bit here and a tad bit there, and she was done. Today did not break that exception. The coordinator had put on a few dabs of blush before putting it back in its case and replacing it with a black hairbrush. The bluenette then started to comb her hair from root to tip, ascertaining that there were no tangles left behind. The last thing Dawn had to do was put on perfume. Its sweet, fruity aroma wafted throughout her room and enriched itself into her hair, clothes and skin. After performing one last check in the mirror, Dawn headed off down the stairs to savor her mother's meal. The scent of pancakes and fruit gently wafted towards her nose.

"Mom!" The coordinator smiled at her mother. "Breakfast smells great!"

Johanna's attention was split between Dawn and the quickly burning pancake mix in the pan, but she quickly turned around to face her daughter.

"Why thank you, honey." Dawn's mother reciprocated with a grin. "You might want to take these to the airport with you. Look at the time!"

Johanna faced the stove again and dealt with the burning pancakes, while Dawn looked at the Starly clock mounted above the kitchen wall. 10:57 in the morning. Seeing it was that late, Dawn started to panic.

"It took me _that _long to get ready?!" Dawn was amazed.

"Well, honey," Johanna reminded her. "You aren't exactly the fastest at deciding what to wear for the day."

Dawn blushed, embarrassed. Johanna looked over at her and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Dawn. I already put some pancakes and fruits in a container. You can eat it on your way to the airport in Jubilife. All of your stuff is packed in your bag."

"Oh, thanks mom!" The coordinator rammed into the side of her mother and gave her a bear hug, causing the poor woman to topple and hit the kitchen floor.

"Sorry, mom..." Dawn got up off the floor and helped her mother stand back up.

"No need to say sorry, honey." Johanna laughed again. "I'm worried about you, though."

"Moooom," The bluenette groaned. "There's no need to worry! I'll be fine; it'll be just like those adventures I took to Hoenn!"

"When you say that, that's when I worry the most."

Dawn hugged her mom in reply. Johanna smiled and hugged her back. Dawn's mother quickly pulled away, reminding her daughter that she had to leave soon. She picked up Dawn's bag and handed it to her before leading her towards the front door. Johanna opened the door and escorted her daughter out to the front yard.

"Go ahead, honey." Johanna waved her hands in the direction of Sandgem Town. "You don't want to miss your flight!"

"Okay, mom!" Dawn started walking away from her house. "I'll see you soon, 'kay? Be sure to call me on my Holo Caster!"

"I will! Be safe! Make sure to say hi to Ash for me!" With that, mother and daughter separated again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Sinnoh...<strong>_

_"I gotta hurry! Ash is waiting for me, Piplup!"_

_**And in Kanto...**_

_"Pikachu... Dawn is on her way."_


	2. Chapter One: Team Rocket's Intentions

{A/N}: Part one of this chapter is finally up! Thank you all for your patience. Part two will be coming up soon!

* * *

><p><strong><em>There's No Need to Worry!<em>**

_Chapter One, Part One: Team Rocket's Intentions_

* * *

><p>"G-Giovanni, sir! Task 0813… d-did not go e-exactly as p-planned…!" The Team Rocket grunt stuttered as he reported to his superior over a video call. "I'm afraid w-we were not able t-to catch the P-Pokémon you requested f-for."<p>

The kingpin slammed his fists onto the wooden, walnut finished escritoire below him in sheer abhorrence. He shook his head in disbelief. A mission so critical to Team Rocket's success has once again come to naught. Were his henchmen the problem? It certainly seemed like it; each one of his operations—either effortless or grueling—resulted in nothing but wasted time.

"Great! It's no big deal, 653! No big deal at all!" Giovanni's sarcasm only served to intimidate the grunt even further. "Hah! Another plan—failed. What a disgrace."

Giovanni tightened his fists and shook his head.

"Agh. Return to base immediately. I'll have Agent 009 clean up your mess."

"B-but, sir! If I can have more t-time, I'm sure I c-can finish the oper—"

"No, you will do as I say. Another grunt is ready to take your place." Giovanni interjected. "You and I will be having a long chat as soon as you return, 653. You are terminated."

Agent 653's face disappeared with the press of a button, signaling the cease of communications between Team Rocket and the now-former grunt. Giovanni took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, fists remained clenched. Adrenaline coursed through his veins.

_"That's the fifteenth failed task in a week. I may as well end Team Rocket in its entirety!"_

Exercising some restraint, Giovanni adjusted his suit and tie which had become disheveled during his dispute with 653. Once calm, the executive took a seat in his large, black leather chair. He sat in darkness—the only source of light emanated from the video screen which displayed static. The boss called for his loyal Persian from another room. In a few seconds, the cat Pokémon sauntered over to its master's side. Persian purred softly as Giovanni gently rubbed its head.

_"This domestic world is desperately in need of a world leader, and I swore that that person would be me, Giovanni Sakaki. With my money, anything and everything should have been within my grasp. But domination over the world, and all of its people and Pokémon, cannot be attained—not by the looks of it. It will __never__ be attained if all of our missions continue to bear no fruit. My henchmen never cease to utterly disappoint me. _

_Fifteen years. Fifteen years it's been since I've founded Team Rocket, and no progress has been made. I nearly died seven years ago because of that brat Red… What else must I sacrifice to realize my vision of this corrupted world? Surely there must be something I can do… Anything!"_

Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted by an announcement over his intercom.

"Sir," a woman's voice emitted from a loudspeaker in the corner of his dark chamber. "This is 009. We have wonderful news for you."

A sigh of relief was unleashed from the boss's mouth. "Finally, Domino. I've been waiting for your communiqué. Only Arceus knows how many failures have been reported before you today. What is this wonderful news the Black Tulip has for me?"

"It's rather confidential. Shall I wait for you to transfer this call onto a secure line, sir?"

"Of course." Giovanni turned toward his computer just to the right of the video screen. "Ion, initiate protocol 1820. Activate secure line."

The computer beeped in response before dictating, "End-to-end encryption has been activated. You may now continue your call."

Domino's superior nodded at the screen, notifying her to resume her announcement. With five simple words, Domino was able to completely astonish her boss. "Target 717 has been captured."

"Y-you don't mean… Yveltal? It has been captured?" Giovanni's mouth was agape.

"That is correct, sir. Yveltal is now in our possession. Its Pokéball is in transport. ETA is two minutes."

_**BRRIRIIIIING. BRRIRIIIIING.**_

Giovanni turned his head towards his telephone. It rang intermittently, flashing red every few seconds. He took note of what displayed on the caller ID. Private.

"You should probably take that call, sir." Domino noticed her boss's distress. "As I said, Target 717's Pokéball is on its way to your transporter."

"…Yes, yes. That would be wise. Thank you, 009."

"Of course, sir. Agent 009 ending communications."

Domino's image disappeared from the screen and it went blank. Giovanni's telephone was still ringing, the word 'Private' perturbing him. The leader considered asking his secretary about the call, but resisted. Instead, he consulted his computer.

"Ion, decipher the caller ID."

The computer beeped twice before responding, "Caller ID cannot be deciphered. Dynamic encryption encountered."

"Track it, then."

"…Phone call tracked. Unknown area in the Kalos Region; in close proximity to Geosenge Town."

_"Kalos? Who could be calling from—" _Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted. He grunted. "_It better not be Jessie, James and that Meowth. I've had enough failures for one day."_

The kingpin picked up the phone hastily. "You three simpletons better have good news for me."

"…Hm. So that's how you greet an old friend, Giovanni? My, my… what great manners you have." A deep voice roared on the other end.

The static display on Giovanni's video screen disappeared. The screen now displayed a seated figure. The figure's surroundings were obscured by darkness, but Giovanni could discern orange, unruly hair.

"L-Lysandre!" Giovanni recognized the man's voice. "My apologies. I thought you were… someone else."

"I understand. Grunts never seem to get the job done, do they?"

"Heh. No, they do not." There was an uneasy moment of silence before Giovanni cleared his throat. "So, how may I be of assistance, Lysandre?"

"How may _you _be of assistance, my friend?" Lysandre's relaxed tone unsettled Giovanni. "Well, perhaps you could begin by explaining why your grunts have invaded Kalos? Better yet, explain why your precious Agent 009 captured Yveltal?"

Giovanni gulped. Even he, one of the greatest mafia bosses in history, feared Lysandre. Sure, they were close associates. But no one dared to defy or upset the leader of Team Flare; anyone who did suffered dire consequences. Lysandre was a very clever man, fooling people with his seemingly calm demeanor. He manipulated anyone naïve enough to believe in his ruse. His goals were unknown to even his closest partners—fellow crime syndicates bent on exploiting the power of Pokémon for their own villainous purposes. Giovanni, as shrewd as he was, could never make sense of Lysandre's actions. That fact frightened him. Despite his unease, Giovanni refused to reveal weakness.

"My grunts were directed to capture Yveltal and bring it to me so that we may begin testing its powers. They were instructed to leave Kalos without a trace of their presence."

"Ah, I see." Lysandre chuckled. "Is that why Kalos News is broadcasting _this _over all Holo Casters?"

* * *

><p><strong>BREAKING NEWS: Eyewitnesses report the presence of unidentified aircraft in Kalosian airspace<strong>

The news reporter, Malva, was chatting with Skyla, the Flying-type Gym Leader from Unova.

"So, Skyla. Have you seen these aircraft before? No one has been able to identify them as of yet. Seeing as you have experience with planes and such vehicles, do you recognize them?"

"Unfortunately, no I cannot, Malva. I haven't seen these types of aircraft before. They seem much more advanced than the aircraft I have experience with. It's possible that they could be police-related, but that's highly unlikely."

"Mhmm. It certainly is strange. Thank you very much for your time, Skyla." The conversation ended, leaving Malva by herself. "I'd like to point something out in one of the images we received. Could you zoom in here? …There. Stop."

The edited photograph depicted a distinct red letter R on the side of a military grade helicopter. "This symbol appears on each aircraft. It appears to be a large letter R. What could this possibly mean?"

* * *

><p>Lysandre cut off the broadcast and his image returned to Giovanni's screen.<p>

"Without a trace, hm? I see why you have such _great_ faith in your grunts." Lysandre's words oozed sarcasm. "Don't worry, Giovanni. I'm not deriding you. After all, how could I propose a business deal without your respect?"

"...What is this business deal of yours, then?"

Giovanni observed Lysandre as he rose from his chair and ambled toward the video camera. He walked ever so slowly, taunting the Team Rocket leader with each step he took. Lysandre soon entered the light emitted from his own video screen, his face finally distinguishable. Giovanni saw him smirk.

"Let's discuss the matter with the others."

Suddenly, the live portraits of other men appeared on Giovanni's screen. He recognized all of them—Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Colress. They all had that same simper present on their faces. Lysandre's voice broke the silence.

"Shall we begin?"


End file.
